S C R E E N S :

SUCCESS OR
SABOTAGE FOR
S CHOO L S ?
A DISCUSSION

OF

CHILDREN, SCREENS & LEARNING

DIPESH NAVSARIA, MPH, MSLIS, MD

DEPARTMENT OF PEDIATRICS
UW SCHOOL OF MEDICINE & PUBLIC HEALTH
SCHOOL OF LIBRARY AND INFORMATION STUDIES
UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSINMADISON
MEDICAL DIRECTOR, REACH OUT

AND

READ WISCONSIN

...this discovery of yours will create forgetfulness in

the learners souls, because they will not use their
memories; they will trust to the external written
characters and not remember of themselves. The
specific which you have discovered is an aid not to
memory, but to reminiscence, and you give your
disciples not truth, but only the semblance of truth;
they will be hearers of many things and will have
learned nothing; they will appear to be omniscient
and will generally know nothing; they will be
tiresome company, having the show of wisdom
without the reality.

Plato, Phaedrus, ~370 BC

on the new-fangled writing

Forty percent of 3month-old infants

are regular viewers
of screen media.

19% of babies
under 1 year of
age have a TV in
their bedroom.

Creative Commons-licensed work by flickr user isherwoodchris

1970:
Children began watching television
at age 4 years

Creative Commons-licensed work by flickr user jbhalper

Today:
Children begin
watching television
at age 4 months.

Creative Commons-licensed work by flickr user ntr23

One

WHAT DO WE KNOW
ABOUT SCREEN TIME?

Young Children & Screens

What do we know?

Fall 2013

Zero
to
Eight

Childrens Media Use in America

such as iPads, from 8% of all families in 2011 to 40% in

2013. The percent of children with access to some type of

Mobile
device
use
is,
smart mobile device at home (e.g., smartphone, tablet) has
unsurprisingly,
increasing.
jumped
from half (52%) to three-quarters
(75%) of all children

Seventy-two

a mobile de

playing gam

38% in 201

in just two years.

used a mob
Ownership of Mobile Media Platforms, over Time
Among 0- to 8-year-olds, percent with each of the following
in the home:

Tablet (iPad, Android, other)

iPod Touch/similar
Any mobile device

daily basis

doubled, fro

The amount

63%

Smartphone

ago). The p

has tripled,

41%

in 2011 up t

40%

are present

8%

indicates o

27%
21%

average tim
75%
52%

2013
2011

expanded a

do so for lo

mobile devi

2011 to 1:07

Even very young children are

frequent digital media users.

nstay among children

d toddlers have started

Table 16: Screen Media Activities Ever Engaged in by

Children Under 2, over Time
Among children under 2, percent who have ever:

media over the past two

der 2 have ever watched

o years ago. But today,

er used a smartphone,

ames, watching videos,

wo years ago, 10% had

l a much less frequent

d takes up far less of

of children under 2 are

Watched TV

66%

66%

Watched DVDs

52%

46%

Used a mobile device

(smartphone, iPod Touch, tablet)

10%a

38%b

Used a computer

4%a

10%b

Played video games (console)

3%

4%

Played video games

(handheld player)

NA+

6%

+ Not asked in 2011

atch TV at least once a

rs of mobile media such

vices. Similarly, children

watching TV and DVDs

Table 17: Time Spent Using Screen Media in a Typical

Day Among Children Under 2, over Time

year). Access to mobile, Internet-enabled devices also varies

significantly by income from 61% of lower-income families to

For example, a third (35%) of lower-income parents have

91% of higher-income ones. The largest gap is in ownership

downloaded educational apps for their children compared

of tablet devices such as an iPad, Microsoft Surface, Kindle

to half (49%) of middle-income parents and three-quarters

Fire, Galaxy Tab, or similar product: 20% of lower-income

(75%) of higher-income ones. But even among families who

families have one of these compared to 63% of higher-income

do own a mobile device, lower-income parents are less likely

ones. The gap in smartphone access between higher- and

than higher-income ones to have downloaded educational

lower-income families is 25 percentage points, while the gap

apps for their children (57% among lower-income, 64% among

in tablet access is 43 percentage points.

middle-income, and 80% among higher-income families).

There continues to be a substantial digital

divide, including both computers and
mobile devices.
Table 26: Internet and Mobile Media Access, by Income, 2013
Among 0- to 8-year-olds:
Percent who have each of the following in
their households:

Parent Income
(<$30k)

Medium ($30-75K)

Higher (> $75K)

High-speed Internet access

69%

46%a

71%b

86%c

Smartphone

63%

51%a

62%b

76%c

iPod Touch or similar device

27%

16%a

25%b

39%c

Tablet

40%

20%a

36%b

63%c

Any Internet-enabled mobile device (smartphone, iPod

Touch, tablet, or similar device)

75%

61%a

73%b

91%c

Any apps for child to smartphone, iPod Touch, or tablet

58%

41%a

54%b

79%c

Any educational apps for child to smartphone, iPod

Touch, or tablet

53%

35%a

49%b

75%c

69%

57%a

64%a

80%b

Percent whose parents have downloaded:

Among those who own a mobile device, percent

who have downloaded:
Any educational apps for their child

Table 27: Access to and Use of Mobile Media Among Lower-Income Families, over Time
Among 0- to 8-year-olds in families earning under $30,000 a year, the percent:
2011

2013

Tablet

40%

20%a

36%b

63%c

Any Internet-enabled mobile device (smartphone, iPod

Touch, tablet, or similar device)

75%

61%a

73%b

91%c

Percent whose parents have downloaded:

But

Any apps for child to smartphone, iPod Touch, or tablet

58%

41%a

54%b

79%c

Any educational apps for child to smartphone, iPod

Touch, or tablet

53%

35%a

49%b

75%c

69%

57%a

64%a

80%b

Among those who own a mobile device, percent

who have downloaded:
Any educational apps for their child

Table 27: Access to and Use of Mobile Media Among Lower-Income Families, over Time
Among 0- to 8-year-olds in families earning under $30,000 a year, the percent:
2011

2013

Who have mobile devices in their home

Smartphone

27%a

51%b

Tablet device

2%a

20%b

Whose parents have downloaded any apps to a smartphone for them

14%a

31%b

Who have ever used a smartphone, tablet, or similar device

22%a

65%b

2013 COMMON SENSE MEDIA

Z ER O TO EI G H T: C H I L D R ENS M ED I A U S E I N A M ER I CA 2013

29

Among 0- to 8-year-olds:

Higher
(>$75K)

HS or
less

Some
college

College or
advanced
degree

Does income matter when it comes to TV?

Latino

White

Medium
(<$30K) ($30K-75K)

Percent of homes with TV

on all or most of the time

33%a

56%b

40%a

50%a

39%a

28%b

49%a

46%a

22%b

Percent with TVs in

their bedrooms

28%a

61%b

50%b

60%a

35%b

21%c

56%a

46%b

16%c

:53a

1:17b

1:06ab

1:07a

:58a

:46b

1:08a

1:06a

:43b

Average time spent

watching TV per day

Under $30,000 a year

White

$30,000-75,000 a year

Latino

White

Latino

Percent of homes with TV on all or most

of the time

46%

45%

46%

37%a

70%b

30%a

Percent with TVs in their bedrooms

50%

60%

60%

27%a

63%b

42%c

Average time spent watching TV per day

:43a

1:24b

1:23b

1:02

1:15

:51

Educational shows

61%

Childrens
entertainment shows
TVs
in Bedroomsfar
more
General audience
shows youd think.
common
than
Adult shows

52%
11%
7%

Note: Examples of TV shows given in the questionnaire were Sesame Street or Mythbusters fo
entertainment shows; American Idol or Modern Family for general audience shows; and CSI or

TV in the Bedroom, by Age, 2013

Percent of children with a TV in their bedrooms:
0- to 1-year-olds
2- to 4-year-olds
5- to 8-year-olds

16%

Table 7: W
Among th
rooms, th
following

37%

45%

Frees up o
can watch

Keeps the
do other th

Child shar

It helps th

Family bou
give child

11%

8% a

8%a

15%b

6%
6%
9%
TVs in Bedroomsfar
more
common than youd think.

7%

uestionnaire were Sesame Street or Mythbusters for educational shows; SpongeBob or i-Carly for childrens
dern Family for general audience shows; and CSI or Greys Anatomy for adult shows.

13
eir bedrooms:

6%

Table 7: Why Children Have TV in Their Bedrooms, 2013

Among the 36% of 0- to 8-year-olds with a TV in their
rooms, the percent of parents who cite each of the
following as a reason:

37%

45%

Frees up other TVs so family members

can watch their own shows

41%

22%

Keeps the child occupied so parent can

do other things

28%

13%

Child shares a room with an older sibling

24%

12%

It helps the child fall asleep

22%

12%

Family bought a new TV and decided to

give child the old one

16%

9%

To get child to sleep in his/her

own room

14%

7%

It was a reward for good behavior

12%

8%

Child shares a room with an adult

11%

11%

Child sleeps in a family room with a TV in it

4%

4%

games, using a computer, and using mobile devices such as

using other screen media.

smartphones and tablets. In addition to screen media, children

Children under 2 spend twice

as much time watching TV and videos
as they do reading books.

this age spend an average of :28 a day reading or being read

Despite these trends, television continues to dominate childrens

to and :20 a day listening to music. Time spent with screen

screen media time in 2013. It is the medium they spend the

media ranges from an average of about an hour a day among

most time with, by far: an average of nearly an hour a day (:57)

children under 2 years old (:58) to 1:58 among 2- to 4-year-olds

compared to :22 watching DVDs, :15 using mobile devices, :11

and 2:21 among 5- to 8-year-olds.

using computers, and :10 using video game players (including

consoles and handheld gaming devices).

Table 1: Time Spent With Media, By Age, 2013

Time spent using media in a typical day:
2-4

5-8

Watching TV

:57

:44a

1:04b

:58ab

Reading/being read to

:28

:19a

:29ab

:32b

Watching DVDs

:22

:11a

:26b

:25b

Listening to music

:20

:34a

:18b

:15b

Playing games on a mobile device+

:08

:01a

:07b

:12ab

Playing console video games

:06

:02b

:12c

Playing computer games

:05

*
a
*

:03b

:09c

Watching TV/video on a mobile device+

:05

:01a

:06b

:05ab

Playing handheld video games++

:04

:00a

:02a

:08b

Watching TV/videos on a computer

:03

:02ab

:04b

Using other apps on a mobile device+

:02

*
*

:03

:03

Using educational software on a computer

:02

:01

:03

:02

Doing homework on a computer

:01

:00a

:00a

:02b

:01

Doing anything else on a computer+++

+ Such as a smartphone or tablet ++ On a device such as a Game Boy, PSP, or DS +++ Such as photos, graphics, or social networking
* Less than 1 minute but more than 0.

How frequently do children under age 2

use different types of media?
Table 18: Frequency of Media Use Among Children
Under 2, 2013
Among children under 2, percent who:
Never

Educational M

Various media platforms h

delivering educational cont

ensure school readiness, a

directly target specific lear

Read/are read to

48%

25%

5%

19%

that many young children ar

Watch TV

31%

24%

11%

30%

ing content delivered on mo

Watch DVDs

11%

19%

15%

47%

is still the platform with the

Use a mobile device

6%

8%

12%

67%

among children in lower-inc

Use ebooks

3%

2%

4%

84%

For example, among all ch

Use a computer

1%

5%

4%

82%

report that 61% often or so

Play console
video games

1%

2%

2%

87%

shows compared to 38% w

Play handheld
video games

educational activities on a

2%

3%

87%

Note: Daily includes several times a day or once a day; weekly includes
several times a week or once a week. * Indicates a value of less than 0.5%
but greater than 0%

who have a mobile device

times use it for educational c

devices have already match

in delivering educational co

play educational games o

computer, and 19% go to e

Play console
video games

1%

2%

2%

87%

shows compared to 38% w

educational activities on a

Play handheld
video games

who
have a mobile
device
2%
3% under
87%
How frequently do* children
age
2
times use it for educational c
use different types of media?devices have already match
Note: Daily includes several times a day or once a day; weekly includes
several times a week or once a week. * Indicates a value of less than 0.5%
but greater than 0%

in delivering educational co

play educational games o

computer, and 19% go to e

Table 19: Types of Media Content Used by Children
Under 2, 2013
Among children under 2, percent who have ever:

sites. Also, mobile has alre

forms for use of educationa

as a Leapster Explorer th

Watched educational shows on TV

60%

educational content (which

Watched kids entertainment shows on TV

37%

times use) educational gam

Played educational games/activities

on a mobile device

22%

Watched general audience shows on TV

17%

Watched adult shows (e.g., CSI)

12%

Used educational games/programs

on a computer
Gone to educational or informational websites
Played games on an educational
device (e.g., Leapster)
Played educational games on a
video game console
Played educational games on a
handheld game player

players (17%) and educati

players such as Game Boy

Television is especially imp

content to the youngest c

10%
6%

in the 5- to 8-year-old age

on the computer and on m

in frequency to their wat

5%
4%
2%

(48% often or sometimes

educational software on th

devices, compared to 59%

educational TV).

sites, and 3% go to social networking sites like Facebook.

at a meeting or ta

say they often do t

common is to let a
Table 22: Use of Media to Occupy a Child or Parent, 2013
Among parents of 0- to 8-year-olds, percent who say they
often or sometimes:
Let child play with handheld
video game player when running
errands together +

17%

49%

Give child the parents

smartphone or tablet to use when
running errands together ++

13%

31%

Use media to occupy child when

doing chores at home

13%

42%

Use media to occupy parent

when out playing with child++

6%

26%

Give child headphones and video

to watch when at a meeting,
class, or other activity ++

13% of mobile ow

they sometimes d

Impact of Media
Among parents o
media cause them
family members:

12%

28%

2%

14%

+ Among those who own a handheld videogame player such as a Gameboy,

PSP, or DS (n=551) ++ Among those who own a mobile device such as a
smartphone or tablet (n=1163)

or tablet when the

Television Viewing in Child Care Settings

20 min average

1 hour 20 min average

Christakis DA, Garrison MM. Preschool-Aged Childrens

Television Viewing in Child Care Settings. Pediatrics 124(6),
December 2009. doi: 10.1542/peds.2009-0862

More time with screens means

less time interacting with
those around them.
(This includes co-viewing.)

Creative Commons-licensed work by flickr user theloushe

Each hour of audible TV results

in 636 fewer words from females
in the home environment, and
134 fewer words from males
Christakis DA et al. Audible television and decreased adult words, infant
vocalizations and conversational turns: a population-based study. Arch Pediatr
Adolesc Med. 2009 Jun; 163(6): 5548. doi: 10.1001/archpediatrics.2009.61

Linked to irregular sleep and

delayed language acquisition

Habit-forming: more time

spent with screens means
more difficulty turning them
off as older children
Creative Commons-licensed work by flickr user penumbra

Study of 3600 children ages 2-6 years

in eight European nations across two
years. Examined multiple domains
and connection to total screen time.

Family functioning
and emotional well-being:
1.2 to 2.0 fold difference

Social and peer-related measures:

no effect noted.

Hinkley T et al. Early Childhood Electronic Media Use as a

Predictor of Poorer Well-being. JAMA Pediatrics, 17 March 2014,
doi: 10.1001/jamapediatrics.2014.94

Table 1
Selected Statistics for Major Sources of Spoken and
Written Language (Sample Means)
Rank of
Median Wor d

Rar e Wor ds
per 1 000

4389
1690
1399
1058
867
627
578

128.0
68.3
65.7
52.7
53.5
30.9
16.3

I.

Printed texts
Abstracts of scientific articles
Newspapers
Popular magazines
Adult books
Comic books
Childrens books
Preschool books

II.

Television texts
Popular prime-time adult shows
Popular prime-time childrens shows
Cartoon shows
Mr. Rogers and Sesame Street

490
543
598
413

22.7
20.2
30.8
2.0

III. Adult speech

Expert witness testimony
College graduates to friends, spouses

1008
496

28.4
17.3

Adapted from Hayes and Ahrens (1988).

those heard on television.

These relative differences in word rarity have di-

more rare wo
television an
Popular maga
opportunities
time televisio
some educat
make people
gages the mi
(Smith, 1989)
the domain o
1 indicate th
reading.
It is somet
words prese
speech are u
doublespeak
words used
that serve no
tion of the f
spoken word
false. Table 2
occur at all
(Berger, 1977
ble frequenc
cis & Kucera
u r y, m a n e u

What does the research show?

Some high-quality programs have
benefits for children
older than two years:

improved social skills

language skills

school readiness

What does the research show?

Example: Sesame Street (1969)

Magazine format

Flexible

Variety

Repetition
leading to increased attention.

What does the research show?

Can a daily television program filled
with elements of learning attract and
hold the attention of four and five year
oldsparticularly those from deprived
homesin free competition with
animated cartoons and shoot-em ups?
Harold Howe
US Commissioner of Education
1968

But

Under two years: there may be

deleterious effects
even from Sesame Street.
Young children remember and learn better
from a live person than from a video.

Children under 30 months

can not learn from 2-dimensional video
representations.

(but the environment around them can still have an effect on them)

Why?
Lack of symbolic thinking

Immature attentional controls

Lack of memory flexibility

to transfer 2-D to a 3-D world.

Can a toddler learn from

word learning videos?
Yes but only if parents
watch with them and reteach
the words.

Why do parents flock to educational

media for infants and toddlers?

This video will teach your child about

language and logic, patterns and
sequencing, analyzing details, and more.

Enriching a childs vocabulary through

the beauty of poetry, music and nature.

Baby Einstein package quotes

The point is that there is so much education in

this video as well as interesting images. Some
of the images are so interesting they seem to
hypnotize.
Baby Einstein Parental Testimonial

Orienting response
Pavlov (1927)

Individuals stop activity and orient towards a

new stimulus

Displacing Play
Displacing Sleep

School-Aged Children
& Screens
What do we know?

Kaiser Family Foundation (2009)

Among 818 year olds,
daily media use:
4h29m of television
2h31m of music
1h29m of computers
1h13m of video games
38m of print
25m of movies
A total of 10h45m packed
into 7.5 hours/day
(via multitasking)

Creative Commons-licensed work by flickr user poetry2capullet

ATTENTIONAL PROBLEMS?
Each hour of daily television appears to yield
about 10% increased risk of inattention later in life.
Each hour of daily cognitive stimulation appears to
yield about 20% decreased risk.
The key factor may be content.
Content viewed at age 0-3y

Risk of later attention

problems

Educational

0%

Entertainment

60% greater

Violent

110% greater

The Newest Detail: Pacing

Lillard AS & Peterson J. The Immediate Impact of Different Types of Television on
Young Childrens Executive Function. Pediatrics, 12 September 2011; 128:e000

60 4-year-olds in three groups:

Free drawing with crayons, markers and paper.

Watch part of a cartoon

about a typical US preschool-aged boy.

Watch part of an episode of

a very popular fantastical cartoon about
an animated sponge that lives under the sea.

They did their selected activity for nine minutes

and were then given
identical performance tasks.

and
ond
ucat
base
mad
cond

DISC

FIGURE 1

z scores for each task.

This
that
fastately
ative
sion
fastnific

Baby Macdonald (Baby Einstein)

A Day on the Farm

Mr Rogers Neighborhood
Voting

Screen Time
Recommendations

A blunt knife
but getting better.

Creative Commons-licensed work by flickr user three_French_Hens

What about E-readers?

Creative Commons-licensed work by flickr user Wayan Vota

Opinion Viewpoint

What about interactivity?

Christakis, JAMA Pediatrics, March 2014

Table. A Comparison of Features of 3 Different Devices Used by Children

Younger Than the Age of 2 Years
Feature
Reactive

Traditional
Toys
!

Touch-Screen
Devices
!

Interactive

Tailorable

Progressive

Can promote joint attention

Highly portable

3-Dimensional

Television

age of 2 years should not be applied to these newer media. Lest one
take from this Table the idea that iPads are in fact superior to all play
devices, it should also be pointed out that the simple act of reading
a book to a child has all 7 features.
Despite of these distinguishing features, there are, at least
from my perspective, 2 caveats about the use of these devices.
The first is that, as discussed previously, they can displace other
activities that are crucial to child development. In particular, caregivers should always ask themselves what their child would otherwise be doing were it not for the omni-available touch screen. For
example, I cringe when I see families at restaurants together and
each member has their eyes glued to their personal device,
thereby bypassing an increasingly rare opportunity for familial
engagement. On the other hand, given that 90% of children
younger than the age of 2 years currently use television and DVDs

regularly, there is the real possibility that interactive media will

displace traditional media, which I would support at least from a
harm reduction standpoint.9 The second is derived oddly enough
from the interactive nature of the device itself. The I did it!
response, whether stated or felt, manifests itself on a neuronal
level with the secretion of dopamine as part of the reward pathway. Think B. F. Skinners famous rat experiments. The delight a
child gets from touching a screen and making something happen
is both edifying and potentially addictive. In much the same way
as we have seen the emergence of problematic Internet use in
older children and adolescents, we may now begin to see compulsive use of iPads among our youngest patients. Therefore, limits
on use are in order.
In conclusion, while many of you wait for us to build an evidence base before this technology too is supplanted by some new
one, I believe that judicious use of interactive media is acceptable
for children younger than the age of 2 years. And finally, the question I will surely be asked is how long should children be allowed to
do so each day. My answer is half an hour to 1 hour and here is how
I arrived at what is, admittedly, an arbitrary number. First, children
that age are only awake for about 8 to 12 hours per day. There is much
to be done and much to be learned in those precious few waking
hours (displacement concerns). Second, children that age typically
engage with other, traditional toys for about half an hour to 1 hour
per day on average, and it seems prudent that these devices be used
an equivalent amount (compulsion concerns).8 In the meantime,
there is much work to be done in the laboratory.

Two

THE SALESMAN
IN THE BEDROOM

THE EVOLUTION OF POLICY

1934
Federal Communications Commission Act:
The public owns the airwaves

late 1970s-early 1980s

The Federal Trade Commission

1984
The Federal Communications Commission
Commerical time should be
regulated by the marketplace.

Creative Commons-licensed work by flickr user politicalactivitylaw

Children ages 218

spend a total of
15,000 to 18000
hours in front of
television sets.

They spend only

12,000 hours in
school.

Creative Commons-licensed work by flickr user michaelatacker

In an average year, a television-watching

child will be exposed to:
14,000 sexual references,
innuendos and jokes
(but under 175 on birth control, abstinence, or STDs)

10002000 beer or wine commercials

1000 murders, rapes,
assaults and armed robberies
20,000 commercials

Creative Commons-licensed work by flickr user Martin Deutsch

The Selling of Violence

Why is media so powerful?

Children learn through observation.

Media gives access to the

secret world of adults

Children learn new scripts

for interactions:

gender roles
conflict resolution
courtship & sexual gratification

But children have a hard time

distinguishing fantasy from reality.

But adults are fine, right?

(adults may also fall prey to this)

Even the Young Ones

Robertson LA, McAnally HM, Hancox RJ. Childhood and Adolescent Television
Viewing and Antisocial Behavior in Early Adulthood. Pediatrics 131(3), 1 Mar 2013

1037 children assessed at regular intervals

from birth to age 26.
Those who watched more television as children
were more likely to have:
a criminal conviction
antisocial personality disorder
more aggressive personality traits

!ree
SOLUTIONS?

Christakis DA, Garrison MM, Herrenkohl T, Haggerty K, Rivara FP, Zhou C, Liekweg K.
Modifying Media Content for Preschool Children: A Randomized Controlled Trial.
Pediatrics 131(3), 1 March 2013

565 parents of preschool-aged children

Randomized controlled trial
Intervention:
Children imitate what they see on screens.
NO attempt to reduce hours, but focus on content and
positive behaviours like coviewing
Delivered via 1 home visit, several mailings (including DVD
clips), follow-up calls.

Result:
At 6 months, better overall scores as well as externalizing
and social competence subscales. At 12 months, similar
although somewhat less significant.

F"r
SHARING THE MESSAGE

AAP 2016 Recommendations

to Parents

Based on research evidence.

https://www.aap.org/en-us/advocacy-and-policy/aaphealth-initiatives/Pages/Media-and-Children.aspx

Media and Young Minds. American Academy of Pediatrics Council on

Communications and Media. Pediatrics, published online October 21, 2016. DOI:
10.1542/peds.2016-2591

AAP 2016 Recommendations

to Parents
1.
Avoid digital media use (except
video-chatting) in children younger
than 18 to 24 months.

AAP 2016 Recommendations

to Parents
2.

For children ages 18 to 24 months of age, if

you want to introduce digital media, choose
high-quality programming and use media
together with your child.

Avoid solo media use in this age group.

AAP 2016 Recommendations

to Parents
3.

For children 2 to 5 years of age,

limit screen use to 1 hour per day of

high-quality programming,

coview with your children,

help children understand what they are seeing,

and help them apply what they learn

to the world around them.

AAP 2016 Recommendations

to Parents
4.

Do not feel pressured to introduce

technology early;
interfaces are so intuitive that children will
figure them out quickly once they start
using them at home or in school.

AAP 2016 Recommendations

to Parents
5.

Avoid fast-paced programs (young children do

not understand them as well),
apps with lots of distracting content,

and any violent content.

AAP 2016 Recommendations

to Parents

6.
Turn off televisions and other devices
when not in use.

AAP 2016 Recommendations

to Parents
7.

Avoid using media as the only way to calm your child.

Although there are intermittent times (eg, medical
procedures, airplane flights) when media is useful as
a soothing strategy, there is concern that using media
as strategy to calm could lead to problems with limit
setting or the inability of children to develop their
own emotion regulation. Ask your pediatrician for
help if needed.

AAP 2016 Recommendations

to Parents
8.

Monitor childrens media content and what

apps are used or downloaded.

Test apps before the child uses them, play

together, and ask the child what he or she
thinks about the app.

AAP 2016 Recommendations

to Parents

9.

Keep bedrooms, mealtimes, and parentchild

playtimes screen free for children and parents.

Parents can set a do not disturb option on their

phones during these times.

AAP 2016 Recommendations

to Parents

10.

No screens 1 hour before bedtime,

and remove devices from bedrooms before bed.

AAP 2016 Recommendations

to Parents

11.
Consult the American Academy of Pediatrics
Family Media Use Plan, available at:
www.healthychildren.org/MediaUsePlan.

AAP 2016 Recommendations

to Industry
Also, for industry:
Cease making apps for children younger
than 18 months until evidence of benefit
is demonstrated.

Eliminate advertising
and unhealthy messages on apps.

Children at this age cannot differentiate

between advertisements and factual
information, and therefore, advertising
to them is unethical.

Messages from the Growing Up Digital

Media Research Symposium

Media is just another environment.

It can be positive or negative.
Parenting has not changed.
Set limits. Teach kindness. Be involved.

Role modeling is critical.

Limit your own use, and teach online etiquette.

We learn from each other.

Responsive, nurturing relationships are vital.

Messages from the Growing Up Digital

Media Research Symposium

Content matters.
Quality is more important than quantity.

Curation helps.
Use the reliable resources available.

Co-engagement counts.
Your perspective influences how children view
their media experience.

Playtime is important.
Unstructured playtime stimulates creativity.

Messages from the Growing Up Digital

Media Research Symposium

Set limits.
As with any activity.

Its OK for your teen to be online.

Social relationships and skills can also have an
online component.

Create tech-free zones.

Protect mealtime and sleep time.

Kids will be kids.

Theyll make mistakes. Teach with empathy.

The Times
(London), 1834
That it will ever
come into general
use, notwithstanding
its value, is extremely
doubtful; because its
beneficial application
requires much time
and gives a good bit
of trouble both to the
patient and the
practitioner

Creative Commons-licensed photo by Flickr user chickenlump.

Video interviews from

Consuming Kids:
The Commercialization of Childhood
Media Education Foundation
2008

Baby Einstein and Mister Rogers Neighborhood

clips available on YouTube
accessed 2012

facebook.com/DrLibrarian
twitter.com/navsaria
dnavsaria@pediatrics.wisc.edu

THE
END

Creative Commons-licensed work by flickr user A_Vicente